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T O P I C R E V I E W

Robert Pearlman

NASA has opened registration for the Lunar Plant Growth Chamber challenge, making available 10 million cinnamon basil seeds flying aboard Endeavour. According to NASA:

Students participating in the challenge will design and build their own greenhouse chambers to analyze and study plant growth from the space-flown seeds following their return to Earth. Students will conduct classroom experiments that may help NASA find new ways to grow and sustain plants in space and on the moon, a critical need for future space exploration.

Seeds will be available to the first 100,000 registrants for the Lunar Plant Growth Chamber challenge. Registrants must be kindergarten through 12th grade educators who are residents of the United States or U.S. territories and outlying areas.

The challenge is a highlight of the flight of NASA's first educator astronaut, mission specialist Barbara R. Morgan, who will travel to the space station on space shuttle Endeavour.

The challenge is part of NASA's Engineering Design Challenge program. The program connects kindergarten through 12th grade students with the challenges faced by NASA engineers who are designing the next generation of space vehicles, habitats and technologies. These hands-on classroom experiments help students achieve national goals in science, math and analytical skills. NASA and the International Technology Education Association co-sponsor this engineering design challenge.

AmirBer

Could any of you point me to where I could get some of the basil seeds brought up in the Endeavour? If you're from the US you can use NASA's website but where can I ask for those to be sent to Israel?

Robert Pearlman

Due to the number of seeds, NASA has limited distribution to "the first 100,000 registrants who must be residents of the United States, U.S. Territories and Outlying Areas."

stsmithva

Thanks for posting that, Robert. This year I will be teaching fourth grade, and one of our science units is on plants. The school district sends us a standard kit, but now we'll be doing another experiment on the side!

AmirBer

quote:Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:Due to the number of seeds, NASA has limited distribution to "the first 100,000 registrants who must be residents of the United States, U.S. Territories and Outlying Areas."

I would still like to try and get some seeds to our center, so whom should I contact?

You might try to partner with a school in the US. It would be a great way to set up a "sister school" international partnership.

garymilgrom

Has anyone received their seeds yet? I have not. Thank you.

stsmithva

I applied pretty much the day Robert told us about it, and I have not yet received them. It's early in the school year, though.

Robert Pearlman

Update from NASA:

STS-118 Basil Seeds on the Move

The 10 million basil seeds that flew in space on the STS-118 space shuttle mission have moved one step closer to the classroom. The seeds were returned to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, on Oct. 4, 2007, and were then packaged and sent to Park Seed Company, located in Greenwood, S.C.

At Park Seed Company, the seeds will be sorted and placed in small packets, each packet containing approximately 50 seeds. The packets of space-flown seeds and control packets of seeds that have not flown will then be distributed to educators who have registered to take part in the Engineering Design Challenge.

The seeds will be packaged in a commemorative envelope with an insert that provides additional information about the seeds.

Robert Pearlman

Update from NASA:

Basil Seeds Continue the Journey

The cinnamon basil seeds that were recently flown on board shuttle mission STS-118 are now in the process of being packaged at Park Seed Company in Greenwood, S.C. After they are packaged, the seeds will be sent to a mailing organization for delivery to registered educators. We anticipate the delivery phase taking place very soon.

An update will be sent when delivery begins.

Robert Pearlman

Imagery and video of basil plants being grown on the International Space Station have been added to NASA's website:

Follow the growth of cinnamon basil seeds on the International Space Station with a gallery of images documenting the experiment from its very beginning. The gallery features images of astronaut Clayton Anderson's 20-day in-orbit experiment, including close-up views of the plants' growth. Students participating in the NASA Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber can compare the growth of the plants on the space station with the growth of plants in their own growth chambers.

Watch as the crew of space shuttle mission STS-118 explains plant growth chambers they are delivering to the International Space Station. To help NASA, the astronauts invite students to participate in the plant growth chamber experiment. In the U.S. lab of the International Space Station, Expedition 15 Flight Engineer Clayton Anderson prepares the plant growth chambers for a 20-day plant growth experiment. Viewers observe how the tiny plants grew before the experiments were returned to Earth on shuttle mission STS-120.

stsmithva

The seeds arrived at my school today. I received a colorful envelope (image of a nebula?) with the return address "NASA Seeds in SPACE." Inside was a paper explaining the contents, and then two plastic envelopes: one with "Earth-Based Seeds (Control Group)", and one with "Space-Exposed Seeds... flown to space on mission STS-118 aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavor, which launched August 8, 2007, and returned to Earth on August 21, 2007."

With fortuitous timing, my students just started learning about experimental design (hypothesis, variables, constants, etc.) and we just got the county science kit with which they will grow plants to learn about things like geotropism and photosynthesis. Now thanks to NASA we'll be adding an experiment on the effects of exposure to space on seeds!

garymilgrom

I received mine yesterday, January 31 in similar packaging to the above. NASA has done a good job of making these items attractive and interesting.

Are you looking for a great project to kick off the new school year? The NASA Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber still has space-flown basil seeds available for growing in the classroom. Click here to register for the Engineering Design Challenge and receive seeds. Visit the Web site frequently to find new feature stories about schools participating in the challenge.

The NASA Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber has positively impacted educators and students nationally. Currently over 1 million students are involved!

If you have already participated, the NASA Office of Education needs your feedback. Please click here to submit feedback and receive certificates of participation for you and your students. Your feedback is extremely important so that NASA can improve future education opportunities. Thank you for participating, and best of luck on all your future projects.

Robert Pearlman

NASA update

Seeds in Space Kits Still Available

The method of distribution of seeds for the Engineering Design Challenge: Lunar Plant Growth Chamber experience has changed. Packets of space-flown seeds and packets of seeds not flown in space are now available as part of the Seeds in Space Kit. The kit includes the following items:

Five packets of seeds. Each packet includes one envelope of space seeds and one envelope of Earth seeds.

The Seeds in Space Kit may be obtained from the Central Operation of Resources for Educators, or CORE. Seeds are available as long as supplies last.

spaceman

Obtained some of the Cinnamon Basil seeds returned from the space station (STS-118) for student experiments. I have tried growing some, the results are tiny and high seed failure rate (they are 6 years old). Anyone on the forum tried? How did they perform?

I've supplied some to local nursery school groups, they are going to try growing them. (Makes an exciting change from the usual watercress).

LateApex

I recently acquired a set via eBay and just planted them a month ago. Separate pots for the earth-based control seeds and a separate one for the flown seeds.

Both are growing well, but early results are the control seeds are growing better than the flown seeds. Have only picked a couple sample leaves, so no real sense if there is any tangible difference.

Fun experiment!

Teacher in space

How did these 6 years old seeds finally grow? Did they survive to fully grown plants? I would like to make this experiment, but only if they grow.

LateApex

They are in separate pots at my cottage and I haven't seen them in over a month. I'll see them next weekend and will try to give you an "end of season" report.

Yes, they grew. Not sure how well, relative to other basils.

Compared to each other, the ground "control" basil seemed to grow a bit better, but it could all be up to our plantings, etc. I did not detect a taste difference, but am looking forward to a closer look now that they should be at their peak.